Christmas Special.

I was supposed to be writing this last night, after the day's happenings. As it turned out, the day was a bit too happening...hmm, best Christmas ever maybe. Forget getting online and typing out a blog post, I couldn't even drive back home! :P

That said, I write this a day late but a day wiser, surer, calmer and merrier within. For I have surely had a blinder of a Christmas 2008!

On the back of unavoidable, voluntary three days of work (when I was actually in Bangalore for a long year end break), Dec 25 was officially my 1st day of the vacation. My family was surprised when I was kitted up at 7:30 am for a football get together. There were 15-16 of us...I was brimming with rediscovered form and confidence, on my favorite grass field in the whole world (yes, on mg road b'lore), and what a fab couple of hours of sweating in the winter sun it was! Ran my heart out, scored a few goals, ran and dribbled past a few 'lesser mortals' (sorry for sounding like that goal-scoring winger Cristiano Ronaldo) and ended the game with respect in the eye of my opposition. Aaahhhh!

Come afternoon, I took my family to watch evam (the group) perform 'Importance Of Being Earnest'. Yes, my flirting with theatre is getting serious. And I love evam. And the K's of evam, the 2 Kartiks and the oh-so-cute Kalyani had me and my family absolutely thrilled with this superb depiction of the Oscar Wilde classic! I really wanted myself and my family to do something different on this vacation of mine, and a lovely time we did have.

I. (ev)Am. A. Huge. Fan. :-)

Quoting Wilde, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." It was time for 'some of us' to be together.

9:00 pm scene: Noon Wines, St. Marks Rd B'lore. Shady wine place (which every wannabe and don-wannabe b'lorean talks of as if it was our very own version of Leopold, Mumbai). 4 of us, college buddies.

I was acting all wine connoisseur like..."waiter what varieties of red/white do you have?". Waiter replies, "Saar, we serve only one wine - home made red." Oops. After realizing that cheese and pineapple and all those wine ethics were out of the door, we ordered desi potato fingers and chicken pakodas and of course, 4 'large' wine glasses. Watier, "5...uhhh, 4 more."...and finally, "ecxuse us...me, can I...we hvae fuor moer? Please. (?!!)"

Jesus Christ (Merry Christmas to you too!)...I (wine connoisseur, yeah bull!) was out on 3 glasses of wine! I mean, I've come out of wine tours sane man. And of course, another pal, who chose to break his 'I'm off drinks' vow for old time sake, was dancing on the roads wearing a santa cap! SOME wine man.

Ok, dinner time. We stumble into an upmarket Thai (family) restaurant called Mugen at 10:30 pm. Choose the table farthest from any other life form. :P An hour of expensive food, ridiculously embarrassing tom foolery, and many pics with 'my eyes barely open' later...I'm 'supported off' to my pals place where I decide to message Dad at 11:30 pm..."hey dad, me li'l high. crashing at pals place as not in a state to drive back. will be home early morning. don't worry, gudnite." Next thing I remember - friend directing me towards an empty bed, pulling off my shoes and zzzzzz.

Goooood times though. Uhh, I need some water and rest. Head beginning to spp(%$**)iiiinnn.

Wilde said, "There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves we feel no one else has a right to blame us."

:-)